I'm pretty confident the one my buddy has with more hrs will be pretty nice. It's been at the dealer and they've gone completely through the mower. I'm still keeping a look out every day for any other ones though.
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Wanting to get back into a Scag
- Thread starter Sonders
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Export threadCan anybody give me an unbias opinion on the 25 hp Koehler that is offered on the Tiger Cat and the 35 hp Vanguard on the Turf Tigers. Only supporting info I have gathered so far is that the Vanguard is somewhat hard on fuel and nobody likes the Koehler but not reasons why.
Mad Mackie
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Kohlers have had some problems over recent years. During manufacture, after drilling the pressure oil passages to intersect, a plug is pressed into the hole. This plug should have been a slightly larger diameter and when the engine gets hot after prolonged periods of operation, the plug can loosen and fall out which causes lube oil flow to stop and major internal engine failure, it happens very quickly.
Kohler has used a variable timing control module on some engine lines and this module has been problematic.
Kohler as other manufacturers has had other persistent problems, 30W engine oil being too thick has caused camshaft and valve lifter failures on some models.
A 35 HP engine will have more power than a 25 HP engine, but fuel consumption will also be more.
Many folks in their own minds determine a machines ability to perform purely based on engine HP and this is not a good standard to go by.
The HP race in the automobile world is back on again and this spills over to consumer attitude relative to anything that has an engine or motor on a product that they may be interested in purchasing.
Just some thoughts from Mad Mackie in CT:laughing::biggrin::smile:
Kohler has used a variable timing control module on some engine lines and this module has been problematic.
Kohler as other manufacturers has had other persistent problems, 30W engine oil being too thick has caused camshaft and valve lifter failures on some models.
A 35 HP engine will have more power than a 25 HP engine, but fuel consumption will also be more.
Many folks in their own minds determine a machines ability to perform purely based on engine HP and this is not a good standard to go by.
The HP race in the automobile world is back on again and this spills over to consumer attitude relative to anything that has an engine or motor on a product that they may be interested in purchasing.
Just some thoughts from Mad Mackie in CT:laughing::biggrin::smile:
Mad Mackie
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Can anybody give me an unbias opinion on the 25 hp Koehler that is offered on the Tiger Cat and the 35 hp Vanguard on the Turf Tigers. Only supporting info I have gathered so far is that the Vanguard is somewhat hard on fuel and nobody likes the Koehler but not reasons why.
Bear in mind that the engines on Tiger Cats are vertical shaft and Turf Tigers have horizontal shaft engines. It is generally accepted that horizontal shaft engines live a longer life than vertical shaft engines because of design and other various reasons. Keep in mind that most or all small engine manufacturers have improved the effectiveness of the cooling systems on their engines as EPA emissions requirements have stiffened and the negative affects of ethanol in the gasoline have become more evident.
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I wasn't comparing those two engines against each other in regards to Hp. Actually just trying to determine Koehler vs Kawasaki on Tiger Cub/Cat and vanguard vs Kawasaki 29dfi on Turf Tiger.
Shughes717
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I wasn't comparing those two engines against each other in regards to Hp. Actually just trying to determine Koehler vs Kawasaki on Tiger Cub/Cat and vanguard vs Kawasaki 29dfi on Turf Tiger.
I don't have much experience with the 35hp vanguard, but my dad has the 32hp big block vanguard on his s200xt. I have not payed much attention to the fuel consumption when using his mower, but I also haven't noticed that it used an excessive amount of fuel either. He mows approximately 8 acres at times and can do so on one 5 gallon tank of fuel give or take. I have a 20hp fx series Kawi on my 48" s150xt and it burns about 3/4 of a gallon to the acre. I know that's comparing two different decks sizes as well as the big difference in horse power, but I don't think there is a massive amount of, if any, difference in the fuel consumption of his mower to mine.
How long has he had the mower Shughes? Have you looked at it close enough to be able to tell how accessible everything is on the engine for maintenance and so forth? I'm kind of leaning towards the Turf Tiger with the Vanguard on it. It looks to be in really good condition, but won't know until I see it in person for sure. Really like the 09' Tiger Cub I found with 164 hrs and 61" velocity plus deck, but it has that darn Koehler on it.
Shughes717
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How long has he had the mower Shughes? Have you looked at it close enough to be able to tell how accessible everything is on the engine for maintenance and so forth? I'm kind of leaning towards the Turf Tiger with the Vanguard on it. It looks to be in really good condition, but won't know until I see it in person for sure. Really like the 09' Tiger Cub I found with 164 hrs and 61" velocity plus deck, but it has that darn Koehler on it.
His is a 2011. He bought it new. He has a little over 200 hours on it. Servicing the engine seems to me to be just as easy as servicing my mower. Has a oil drain hose to put down in a bucket and the filter is easy to get to and change. I can tell you that his mower is very powerful. He uses it as a bush hog at times around his shop and cow pastures. I have not seen it stall. Several lawn care businesses run mowers with the vanguard in my area. Pretty popular engine around here.
Shughes717
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The TT is at a dealer almost 2 hrs away, so won't be able to go up there until Saturday. Was thinking about calling them friday and making them a cash offer on it before wasting the trip.
Might be worth giving that a try. If you have past experience with scag and have been happy with their performance then that's what you should go with. In the end your opinion is the only one that matters. It sounds like you tried something different with the z4 and have regretted it. You don't want to have buyers remorse again.